İYİ Party's Turhan Çömez: 'The Abdülhamid Han drillship's tower height is 60 meters, so it has no chance of passing through the Straits'

Purchased for 180 million dollars to search for oil and natural gas, the Abdülhamid Han drillship cannot enter the Black Sea. The ship's tower height is 60 meters, and its height from the sea level is 64 meters.

According to the Straits Maritime Traffic Regulations, ships with a height exceeding 58 meters are not permitted to pass through the Bosphorus.

Furthermore, according to the regulations, it is also risky for a ship of this height to pass under the Bosphorus bridges.

"IT HAS NO CHANCE OF PASSING THROUGH THE STRAITS"

According to the report by Emin Özgönül from Sözcü, İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez, who brought the issue to the agenda, asked, "The Abdülhamid Han ship cannot pass through the strait and drill in the Black Sea due to its height. Why did those who bought the ship not take the bridge height and the laws into account?" and stated the following:

"The Blue Homeland is no longer being talked about. The European Union also rejects the Blue Homeland. It claims that our maritime jurisdiction areas belong to Greece. Turkey, which bought the drillships, outsourced the operation of the technical personnel and equipment. Because of this, we are losing hundreds of millions of dollars. We cannot use our drillship in the Black Sea either. The Abdülhamid Han drillship's tower height is 60 meters, so it has no chance of passing through the Straits."

CAN THE RULE BE RELAXED?

Pilot Captain Sedat Tenker, who skillfully navigated the aircraft carrier Varyag—which was built in Russia in 1993 and headed to China via the Black Sea—under the Bosphorus bridges with his colleague Saim Oğuz, explained the situation of the Abdülhamid Han ship as follows:

"In accordance with the Turkish Straits regulations and directives, ships with an air draft of 58 meters or higher cannot pass through the Bosphorus. If this rule is relaxed, a passage could be made in calm weather with special precautions, but it would be necessary to pass exactly through the middle of the bridges. The height of the bridges from the sea at the center span is 64 meters, and it is lower on the sides."

180 MILLION DOLLARS PAID FOR THE SHIP

Built in South Korea in 2013 and named 'Cobalt Explorer', the ship was purchased by Turkey for 180 million dollars. Brought to Turkey on May 19, 2022, and named Abdülhamid Han, the ship is used by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to conduct oil and natural gas drilling at sea. Since its purchase, the ship has been conducting drilling operations in the Mediterranean.

FEATURES OF THE SHIP

It possesses 7th-generation modern technology. The ship, which is 238 meters long, 42 meters wide, and weighs 62 thousand gross tons, holds the distinction of being Turkey's fourth drillship after Fatih, Kanuni, and Yavuz. Equipped with a dual tower and an active positioning system, the ship has a capacity for 200 crew members and has the capability to drill up to 12,200 meters.

WHAT DO THE REGULATIONS SAY?

Article 33 of the Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation states, "Ships with an air draft of 58 meters or higher shall not pass through the Bosphorus, and ships with an air draft of 70 meters or higher shall not pass through the Dardanelles. For the Bosphorus, ships with an air draft between 54 and 58 meters, and for the Dardanelles, ships with an air draft between 66 and 70 meters, shall be accompanied by the number and power of tugboats deemed necessary by the Ministry/Administration to maintain their course."